


Rest and Recuperation

by astudyinfic



Category: The Kingston Cycle - C. L. Polk
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M, Miles POV, POV First Person, Smut, Spoilers for the beginning of Stormsong, soft moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: His sister arrested.  The country on the brink of another war.  People cold and hungry.  There were so many things for Miles to be worried about and nothing he could do about any of it.But here in Tristan's arms, he could let go of everything he couldn't control, rest, recover and be loved.  Then he could get to work on saving the world.
Relationships: Tristan Hunter/Miles Singer
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Rest and Recuperation

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into the fandom. Thanks to K and J for the cheerleading.

I wasn’t sure about returning to Kingston. While I missed my home, I’d given up on ever seeing it again. After breaking the network, both Grace and I were fugitives. It was better to stay here, among the Amaranthine where it was safe, at least until I was strong enough to be able to protect my sister and myself.

“The Grand Duchess needs to be closer to the people of Aeland,” Tristan argued and I couldn’t see fault in that. Aife needed to be able to talk to Queen Constantina if we had any hope of avoiding war. It didn’t mean I had to like it. But if Grace and Tristan were going to Kingston, then I was going as well. I wouldn’t let the two people I cared about the most go without me.

They both assured me again and again that this was going to be fine. As I rode the cart into town, surrounded by the Blessed Ones and my own sister, I could hear the gasps of the crowd as they realized just who the people in front of them were. I wished I could see it and sat up, trying to see the Aelanders realize that the Makers were in fact real.

Instead of seeing their reactions to Tristan and his people, I instead saw the reaction to my sister riding into town. She’d been deemed a traitor and a criminal and they couldn’t let her stay free. Watching them take her away in copper was the single most helpless feeling of my life. More than when we were bonded against my will. More than my capture at the hands of the Laneeri. More than the days spent lying in a bed in the Amaranthine camp, too weak to get up.

Those times were when I was too weak to help _me_. This time I was too weak to help _Grace._ I tried to push myself up, to get out of the cart and do something but my body still wasn’t up to it and even if it was, Tristan was right there to hold me back. “She said to trust her, Miles. That is what we must do.”

He was right, of course, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

Our procession continued to the palace and with minimal fanfare, we were given a wing in which to live for our stay in Kingston. The luxurious room Aife assigned to Tristan and myself only made me more aware of the fact that my sister was in the tower, probably cold and miserable. It seemed wholly unfair that I would be here in the lap of luxury after doing what I did while Grace suffered the consequences. I would have traded myself for her in a heartbeat but I knew neither the Grand Duchess nor my beloved would allow me to do such a thing.

“Miles,” Tristan said, coaxing me out of my chair and into his arms. “You have had a long and trying day. A bath, some food, and then we can go to bed early. Tomorrow when we are refreshed, we will aid Aife in freeing your sister. As it is now, she has already sent an emissary demanding to know for what crime Grace is being held.”

I knew that the Grand Duchess would not let my sister suffer and I knew Tristan would not allow me to push myself any farther than absolutely necessary, so arguing was pointless. And as guilty as it made me feel, what Tristan was proposing sounded perfect. We’d had so little time to ourselves since the horror of the asylum that I wanted to grasp whatever moments we could.

I kissed him softly, still enjoying the fact that I could. I no longer denied myself any of the pleasures of being with him. We were to be married - we practically were already - and as far as I was concerned, Amaranthine law overrode the laws of Aeland. If they happened to benefit me personally, that was an added perk.

I ran my hand through his hair, slowly combing out the braid that he typically wore. We were alone, in what would be our home for the near future, and it was just us. There was no need for formalities such as proper hair, or proper clothing. Or any clothing at all.

“I believe you said something about a bath?” I still felt guilty for not going to Grace immediately but I knew without a doubt that I was not strong enough to make the trip alone and though Tristan knew it was important to me, he would not let me risk my health for such an outing. He was right. There was nothing we could do tonight. So I intended to use this time to our advantage before we got to work tomorrow.

Tristan nodded and left briefly after settling me back in my chair. A moment later he returned along with two others who would fill the tub. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to express my appreciation to the Amaranthines for everything they’d done for me. They’d accepted me as one of their own from the moment I woke up in my convalescent bed.

When the others had left, the warm, floral scent of the bathwater filled the room and I was anxious to step in. I’d lost weight while recovering and found it more difficult to stay warm, particularly as we had just entered Frostmonth and the temperatures were significantly cooler that I preferred.

Gentle as always, Tristan helped me to the bath and stripped me out of my traveling clothes while I helped do the same for him. How it frustrated me to not be recovered already! My hands shook slightly with the exertion of opening the buttons on his shirt and I cursed my weakness that didn’t allow me to do everything I wished. But within minutes, he was undressed and so was I. Every time I looked on him, I was struck with how beautiful he truly was. How a man like him could want someone like me, I didn’t understand but he looked at me with such love, such open affection, that there was no way I could ever doubt the way he felt. It made me feel as if I could move mountains with only the strength of his love to guide me.

Maybe my body would be that strong soon, as well.

I eased myself into the hot, sighing as the heat soothed the aches that still troubled me. Though I tried to not let on and push through the pain, I know Tristan felt what I did. For the most part, he let me pretend until I tried to push myself too hard.

He followed, settling behind me to let me rest against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, leaving me warm and comfortable and safe. Tristan was truly everything to me and I loved him more than I thought it was possible to love. His lips pressed against my temple, featherlight, before he tightened his arms and encouraged me to relax further.

Before Tristan, I would never have considered attempting this sort of intimacy with another. The chance of discovery was too high, the punishment too severe. It wasn’t worth the risk, no matter how much I craved it.

We sat there in silence, the only sound the synchronized beating of our hearts until the water started to grow cold. Tristan climbed out first, the water trailing off him in the most delicious of ways. I followed, a little unsteady and requiring some help but I managed it. He wrapped me in the softest towel I had ever experienced then swept me off my feet, our lips meeting as he pulled me close. I threaded my hand through his hair, feeling the damp ends where they’d floated in the water while we bathed.

Tristan didn't even need to look where he was going to find the bed, laying me down first then climbing next to me. The warm down blanket was pulled over us both and I snuggled closer, my body anxious for something more as I hardened against him but my mind content to lay there and breathe in the musky scent of Tristan, mixed with the fragrant floral water of our bath.

His hands ran over my skin and while that alone felt good, I could tell he was checking to see if the magical net that ran all over me was still in place. If it were to fail, it would have dire consequences for me. As it was, I knew nothing would ever happen to it because Tristan was the one who made it and powered it. Tristan valued my life even more than I did, so I knew I had nothing to worry about while my well-being was in his hands.

He kissed me, gentle and soft, as he had been since the horror of the asylum. Treating me like fragile glass was irritating in some circumstances but in times like this, it only served to fuel the fire of my love for him. I moved closer, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close. The heat of his body seeped into my own and I sighed into the kiss, luxuriating in the chance to make this last as long as we wanted.

“Be mine, Miles?” Tristan asked as if there was any doubt that I was his in every possible way. But then his fingers trailed down my back, between my crease and I understood what he was asking.

I pushed back against his fingers, encouraging him to push them in. Our lovemaking had been something otherworldly, just like him, and I was eager to have him take me once more.

With soft fingers, he worked me open, kissing the gasps that slipped from between my lips. He knew exactly how to touch me, I felt like I might unravel, explode, burst into a thousand tiny pieces, all while feeling more whole than I ever had before.

When he decided I was ready, Tristan gripped my hip, encouraging me to roll onto my side facing away from him. I regretted not being able to see his face but when he slowly pushed inside, his arms wrapped tight around me and I could feel the solid warmth of him from the back of my head all the way down to my feet. We were as close as two people could be and I could feel him both inside and outside.

This was what people meant by their ‘other half’. He was a perfect fit for me, the way our bodies seemed to meld together, the way we instantly knew how to move in sync. I could feel his own love and joy bubbling up deep within him and my own rose to meet it halfway. Feeling the love of two people in one heart was more than I thought I could bear. No one should be this happy, no one should be this loved. And yet, I was. I had Tristan - beautiful, perfect, powerful Tristan - who loved me as if I were his own personal sun, his own life shifting to orbit around me.

He clung to me as we moved together, writhing under the silken sheets of our temporary bed. His lips found the shell of my ear and he whispered those beautiful nothings that seemed to only make sense between lovers. “My love, my Miles. Be mine. Say you will be mine forever. I want you by my side for the rest of my life and even beyond.”

“ _Yes_ ,” I whispered because even if we both knew it wasn’t possible, I wanted to live as long as I could with him. I never wanted to leave him alone. “I love you, Tristan. I love you.”

One of his hands slid down my chest and wrapped around my length, hard and aching for release. With firm but gentle strokes, he brought me to the edge of my release. “My Miles,” he whispered once more, voice far more broken now as his hips began to stutter with his own pleasure racing up on him. “My husband. Soon.”

That was all it took. The idea that I would get to marry him, something that had never seemed possible in my life now a guarantee for my near future, pushed me to completion and I spilled over his hand, his name on my lips, his love in my heart.

Tristan held onto me as he filled me with his own release, whispering my name in my ear; the softest, sweetest sigh I had ever heard.

We lay in quiet contentment, wrapped around each other in the bed we now shared. The world outside was hard and cruel - my sister in captivity, my country on the brink of a war we had no hope of winning, people starving and freezing because of my necessary but painful actions - but here in this bed, it felt like nothing could ever go wrong.

A door in another part of our chamber opened and closed, only the slight click alerting us to the presence. I tensed, years of hiding were hard to overcome but Tristan held me closer and kissed the top of my head. I relaxed immediately, trusting in the comfort he offered. “Just our dinner,” he whispered and I could finally note the soft scent of spices wafting from the other room.

Dinner had cooled significantly by the time either of us wanted to climb out of our bed, but that didn’t matter. The Amaranthines had prepared the food, it seemed, as it was far more flavorful than our own typical cuisine. In my father’s house, we dined well but most of the people of Aeland made do with what they had. And what they had was nothing like what the Amaranthines were accustomed to in the Solace.

With a full belly, warmed and sated in all the best of ways, my eyes grew heavy and I knew I would need sleep sooner rather than later. My fear for Grace still nagged at me but I knew nothing I did tonight would help her in the slightest. No, what I needed was to follow Tristan’s instructions and wait for the Grand Duchess to help us free my sister in the morning.

Despite the evening of rest and recuperation, I still felt far weaker than I was ready to admit. “Help me to bed?” I asked Tristan, who jumped up to offer me assistance. With my arm around his waist and his arm around my upper back, we made it to the bed. I collapsed in an undignified heap, snuggling under the plush blankets. My eyes started to drift closed but until Tristan was next to me, I knew sleep wouldn’t come. The room got darker until the only light was from the moon, reflecting off the snow outside. The blanket shifted and Tristan slid in behind me. I leaned back, feeling his warmth sink into my skin.

“I love you,” I whispered as exhaustion finally took me.

Even half-asleep, I heard Tristan repeat the words to me. “I love you, Miles. Sleep well.”

And I did. With dreams of the sun and the Solace and Tristan by my side.

Forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on [tumblr](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://twitter.com/astudyinfic)


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